Challenger Sergey Karjakin has seized a 4.5-3.5 lead in his title match with Magnus Carlsen, preventing a record-tying world championship sequence of eight initial draws by winning with black in a heart-stoppingly dramatic game that was far more excitement and emotion than precision. The champ now has only four games left to solve the invincibility enigma posed so far by his Russian adversary.

The event of the year draws ever closer – on 11/11 the world title match between Magnus Carlsen and challenger Sergey Karjakin kicks off. Unsurprisingly, news tidbits are now coming thick and fast as various factions start to ratchet up the excitement. Here is an overview of the latest developments.